A debate between the Tufts Democrats and Republicans and a talent show will highlight Hotung Café's grand opening ceremony tonight.
After months of renovation, the Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate, Office of Student Activities and Dining Services will host the official launch, which will begin with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 4:30 p.m.
Dean of Undergraduate Education James Glaser will moderate the political debate, which will come directly after the ribbon cutting. Each side will respond to four questions on issues such as healthcare, immigration and national security, senior and TCU Historian Alex Pryor said.
A "Jumbo Talent" performance will follow later in the evening. It will feature a capella groups S-Factor and Essence, the BlackOut step team, the Burlesque dance troupe, the B.E.A.T.S. percussion ensemble and HYPE!, the student mime company.
For the final portion of the grand opening, chairs and tables will be cleared away to make space for Club Hotung, a dance party in which Tufts' D.J. group Forced Triple will spin until 3 a.m.
Today's ceremony follows the "soft opening" that took place prior to Thanksgiving break, in which the café's unfinished seating area was reopened after renovations. Since then, custom-made furniture, glass tiles and flat-screen televisions have been installed in the lounge area.
The celebration will mark the end of more than 18 months of planning and construction. According to Director of Dining Services Patti Klos, the culmination is worthy of large-scale festivities.
"Whenever we have a significant improvement to facilities, we want to acknowledge it," she said. "This is a collaboration between the Senate, Arts and Sciences, and Dining, and we wanted to celebrate it in a big way."
Pryor said that the Senate hopes the event will attract a good deal of attention.
"There are so many people involved," she said. "People can bring their friends, it's right in the middle of campus ... We're expecting a good turnout."
Klos would like to see the renovations increase the café's popularity. "We hope Hotung will be a destination point for students," she said.
